


Accident

by StatueOfLuberty



Category: Eyewitness (US TV)
Genre: AU, I don't know, M/M, but a very slight AU, or maybe very major
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-09-07 19:23:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8813140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StatueOfLuberty/pseuds/StatueOfLuberty
Summary: It all started with the stupid bike.(Or AU where Philip gets shot by accident instead of Lukas)





	

It all started with the stupid bike.

Philip and Lukas were hanging in the barn, just talking and joking around. Then, Lukas spots his bike and asks Philip if he wants to try a jump.

"Wait, really?" Philip asks.

"Hell yeah, man. I want to see you do it before I go with Agent Davis," Lukas replies as he grabs his bike and the two helmets.

"I didn't think anybody could ride your bike," Philip retorts, repeating what he said the night the video was leaked.

Lukas simply shrugs and states, "You're not just anybody." That makes Philip smile.

They clear it with Agent Davis, and then they're off. Philip gets to ride them to the ramp, and he lets Lukas get off once they've reached it. Lukas says he's gonna go in Philip's usual spot and film it. Philip nods before riding far enough so he can get the perfect amount of momentum when he jumps. Lukas gives him a thumbs up, his helmet gone, and Philip starts towards the ramp. Lukas stares in awe as Philip soars through the air, but then there's a loud pop, and Philip's crashing into the water while the bike's still flying. Lukas scrambles through the water, shouting the brunet's name the whole time. He pulls the helmet off and flips him over to see his face, but his eyes land on the hole in his chest and the blood.

Philip's been  _shot._

Lukas can hear Agent Davis shouting his name, but he can't answer. Philip is  _dying._ Lukas belatedly remembers from shows and movies that he needs to apply pressure, so he does just that once he gets Philip out of the water. Agent Davis reaches them and pulls her phone out, calling Helen. All that's going through Lukas' head is  _PhilipshotPhilipbleedingPhilipdying._ He doesn't even notice Sheriff Torrance until she's lifting Philip. He follows her to the Jeep and sits in the back with her foster son, keeping the pressure on his chest. He sees how pale Philip's getting, and he wishes he could do something to bring that color back, make him look more  _alive._  

Next thing he knows, he's standing in the waiting room, watching as doctors and nurses take Philip away. Helen lays a hand on his shoulder, making him jump. He turns to her and says, "It should've been me."

"Lukas, don't—"

"No, Sheriff Torrance, the killer thought Philip was me when he was on the bike.  _It should've been me,_ " he repeats.

She opens her mouth, but nothing comes out. He excuses himself and heads to the bathroom. His hands are caked with blood, so he runs the water, makes sure it's hot, and puts as much soap in his palm as possible before scrubbing at his hands. The scene just keeps replaying in his head, Philip falling, his blood dispersing in the water. His vision blurs with tears as his heart races with every repeat.

"Lukas,  _Lukas._ It's all gone," Agent Davis says as she pulls him away from the sink.

He dries his hands, feeling completely numb except for the tightness in his chest. He follows Agent Davis to the waiting room and sits between her and Sheriff Torrance. Dr. Caldwell arrives a few minutes later, his usual carefree spirit gone. Sheriff Torrance heads over and talks to him in a hushed voice in hopes of Lukas not hearing, but he still does.

"It's not looking good. He lost a lot of blood," she tells Dr. Caldwell.

"Has anybody contacted Anne?" he asks.

"I had Kamilah call the judge; he's letting her visit until further notice. Somebody from the center will be watching her at all times," she replies. "Gabe, what if they take him away from us?"

"They won't do that, not when they hear what happened," he assures her. "He got shot by the killer; there's no way we would've known he'd do that."

"But if we told them to stay at the house, this wouldn't have  _happened_ ," she hisses.

"The killer could've attacked and shot Lukas while we were there, Helen. Stop thinking like this, stop blaming yourself." He looks over to the chairs and finally notices Agent Davis and Lukas. "C'mon, let's sit down."

"No, I need to go to the station and find this bastard!" Sheriff Torrance shouts.

That's when Agent Davis stands up. "Helen, you can't work on the case. I'll work with Tony, find out who it is. You need to stay with Philip."

"I can't just sit here—"

"Whenever something happens to Philip, you're not there," Dr. Caldwell blurts, surprising the four of them.

"Excuse me?" Sheriff Torrance asks.

"We have to meet the principal, you don't show up. We're supposed to pick him up from the field trip, you leave. Every time he actually wants to tell you something, you have to leave." Dr. Caldwell sighs. "I'm sorry. I just can't sit here and watch you distance yourself from him."

"I need to catch this killer, Gabe."

"Sheriff Torrance?" Lukas speaks up.

She turns, her face softening. "What's up, Lukas?"

"Can you please stay? I know Philip would want you to," he says.

She hesitates before nodding. "Yeah, I'll stay."

Dr. Caldwell stares at them in disbelief. Lukas shrugs and settles into his seat, trying to stop his hands from shaking. They sit there for hours, waiting for Philip to get out of surgery. Agent Davis texts Sheriff Torrance a couple times, but there doesn't seem to be any leads.

"We know about you and Philip," she says. "Philip texted a picture of you two when I had your phone, and Gabe saw him sneak to the guest room."

"Please don't tell my dad," he begs.

"No, of course not. I just wanted you to know that you don't have to hold back your feelings around us," she assures him.

Lukas falls asleep at some point, because when he wakes up, Sheriff Torrance and Dr. Caldwell are walking towards a doctor. He stays back, chewing on his lip. He can't hear anything. His ears are ringing too loudly. He had dreamt about living in the city with Philip, and it felt so real. He woke up curled around Philip, the sun shining through big windows. Their apartment was a factory at some point, which Lukas knows Philip loves. There were pictures all around the apartment of them, of their hangouts in Tivoli, of places Lukas couldn't name. They showered together, got dressed together, ate breakfast together, and kissed right on the sidewalk before going their separate ways. It's something he wants so badly but has never admitted to himself until now.

"Lukas, would you like to see him?" Dr. Caldwell asks.

Lukas nods and stands, following them down a couple hallways until they reach his room. He watches from the window as they sit and talk to Philip, even though he's not awake. Lukas' heart breaks when he sees how pale his—his  _whoever_ is. His gown is unbuttoned, showing the bandage on his chest, and his hair covers his forehead. It doesn't look good. It doesn't look  _right._  

After a while, Sheriff Torrance looks over and stands up. Lukas looks at the ground and waits for her to say something, but she doesn't. His hands start to shake again, so he crosses his arms.

"He's in a coma," she states. "They said to talk to him as if he's still awake."

"Do they know if he'll wake up?" he asks.

"They still need to give him an MRI, but he has to be more stable for them to do so. Would you like to see him?"

He shakes his head. "I mean, I do, but I'll wait until you two are done."

"No, go in. Gabe and I will go to the cafeteria, try to eat something."

When Lukas steps into Philip's room, Dr. Caldwell excuses himself, following Sheriff Torrance down the hallway. Lukas sits on the bed, leaning over Philip a little. He takes his phone out and plays the video Philip made.

"I—I kept the video. I almost deleted it before even watching it, but when my dad said they were going to take you away, I knew I had to watch it. I saved it after that. It helps me fall asleep whenever I have a nightmare. It reminds me how lucky I am. I—I know I've been terrible, but you've stuck by me. I don't know why, but you have." He leans closer and whispers, "Please don't die, Philip. I need you."

"He needs you, too," Anne says, making Lukas jump back. "Relax, it's just me."

"I'll leave you two alone," he says, but she shakes her head.

"No, I'd—I'd really like it if you stayed," she says.

There's a man standing behind her, probably from the center. Lukas watches her as she sits on the other side, taking Philip's hand in hers. "How's my baby boy doing?"

"He's in a coma. He needs to get a little stronger before he can get an MRI," he tells her.

"Why does he need an MRI?" she asks.

He lets out a shaky sigh and looks at the blanket. "When he was . . . he landed face-first in the water. I think Agent Davis or Sheriff Torrance gave him CPR, but I don't know how long he wasn't breathing. I wish I helped him more."

"I ran into Helen on the way up; she said you were taking care of him on the way over." She reaches over and rests her hand on his arm. "Thank you for taking care of Philip."

"I can't lose him," he whispers. "He means so much, and that scares me, but the thought of losing him scares me even more."

"I know my baby boy, and he's a fighter. He's not leaving us anytime soon," she assures him., squeezing his arm.

Lukas stands and steps outside. He pauses at the man from the center and says, "How's she been?"

"She's really trying. She always talks about wanting to do it for herself and her son," the man explains. "It hasn't been easy, but she won't go down without a fight."

"Just like her son," Lukas mumbles before heading to the cafeteria.

* * *

Lukas stays at the sheriff's house. His dad figured everything out and kicked him out temporarily. He's glad it's temporary, but it still hurts. He starts in the guest room, but migrates the first night to Philip's room when he can't sleep. Surrounding himself in Philip's comforter is the best decision he's ever made; the smell calms him. Sheriff Torrance and Dr. Caldwell ( _"Please, just call us Gabe and Helen."_ ) don't say anything when he comes downstairs, yawning and scratching his stomach. Instead, they push a plate of pancakes towards him when he sits at the table and tell him they'll go back to the hospital when they're done with breakfast.

"Lukas, we know you can't remember the shooter's face," Helen says. "It's okay that you don't, but we do believe you were in the cabin."

"Like how you believed Philip?" Gabe mutters.

"That was a lot more complicated," she points out. "There is, however, something you aren't telling us. When you're ready to, you know where you find me. I just wanted to get that out there."

"Philip was in the cabin," Lukas blurts.

"What?" she asks.

He swallows around the lump in his throat and takes a deep breath. "We were, uh, and that's when the car pulled up. I hid in the closet, Philip under the bed. The last guy to get shot, the one who said he worked for the FBI, fell right in front of Philip. Philip made some sort of noise, and the killer finally noticed him. He pointed the gun, I panicked and grabbed the frying pan and hit him twice. Tommy was killed because the killer recognized Philip's jacket."

"Why didn't Philip say anything?" Gabe asks.

"Because I didn't want it to get out that I'm . . . and he promised he wouldn't tell anybody. Trust me, he really wanted to, but he was scared. He still is."

There's a knock on the door before Rose steps inside. Lukas stands, and they make eye contact. He excuses himself and leads her to the guest room, shutting the door behind them.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" he asks lightly.

"I heard what happened to Philip. How are you?" she asks.

He shrugs. "Fine, I guess. Why do you ask?"

There's a pause. "I know about you guys."

His blood runs cold as his eyes widen. "Wha—how?"

"I figured it out when I heard that you two were together when . . . well, anyway, it all made sense after that," she explains. "I'm pretty upset, but you're still my friend, and I'm going to support you."

"That—that means a lot to me," Lukas says.

Rose looks at her phone and groans. "I've gotta get to school. If Philip wakes up today, let me know. I want to visit him, get to know my friend's boyfriend."

Lukas looks down. "I don't know if I would call him my boyfriend."

"Whatever he is, I want to visit," she says with a grin.

She gives him a tight hug before leaving, saying goodbye to Helen and Gabe. Lukas heads upstairs to shower and get dressed before they head to the hospital. On the drive over, Lukas can't help but worry. Philip should be getting an MRI today, and he doesn't know what to do while he waits. The MRI will take at least half an hour. How's he supposed to pass the time?

The doctor tells them that while Philip gets the MRI, one of them should talk to him over the speaker. Without any hesitation, Gabe pushes Lukas to follow the nurses. He looks back to make sure, but they're already walking away. They tell him to sit in a chair that's closest to the microphone. There's a camera in the machine, so Lukas gets to look at Philip while he's being scanned. Lukas has no idea what he talks about. He doesn't take his eyes off the monitor until Philip's disappeared from the camera's view. On the way back, he spots somebody and almost trips over his own feet. The face suddenly fills in in every nightmare and memory he has of the cabin shooting. He quickly takes his phone out, takes a picture, and sends it to Helen before catching up with the nurses.

_That's the shooter._

He shuts the door to Philip's room behind him and locks it. Then, he pulls the curtain around the bed so when the shooter looks in, it won't look suspicious. Then, he sits by Philip and takes his hand while staring at his face.

"You look so peaceful," he whispers, looking down to their hands. "The stress is gone from your face. I hope you're dreaming of us. I had a dream like that yesterday. I hated waking up because you were here and not in the apartment we were living in. God, you would've loved the place in my dream."

"Did the building used to be a factory?"

Lukas' head shoots up. Philip's squinting at him, a small smile on his face. Letting out a choked sob, Lukas leans forward and rests their foreheads together. "You idiot, don't scare me like that."

"I'll try not to get shot, next time. Can you please get me some water?" Philip asks.

Lukas reaches over and grabs the pitcher, pouring some in a styrofoam cup. He sticks a bendy straw in it and holds it up to Philip's mouth. He takes small sips before letting out a small sigh.

"How are you feeling?" Lukas asks as he caresses Philip's forearm.

"Like a bullet was dug out of my chest," Philip groans. "Have they caught him, yet?"

Lukas checks his phone. Helen's texted back  _are you sure?_ "I need you to look at a picture and tell me if you recognize somebody."

He pulls the picture up and shows it to Philip. Philip's smile disappears, and the veins in his forehead become visible. "That's him. How'd you get that?"

Lukas replies  _Philip's awake and just identified him._ "He's in the hospital. I texted Helen, locked the door, and pulled the curtain so it looks like you want privacy."

The heart monitor starts beeping like crazy as Philip's breaths get shorter and shallower. Lukas looks to see if there's something wrong with Philip's chest, but there's nothing. Philip tugs on his hand and pulls him over, wrapping him in a tight hug. He sticks his nose in Lukas' shirt and takes a deep breath, as if the smell of Lukas calms him. Lukas rubs his back in slow circles, trying to soothe him. Some alarm must've gone off, because there's frantic knocking on the door. He stands up reluctantly and peeks around the corner. There are a couple nurses waiting for him to open the door. He unlocks it and pokes his head out.

"We need to get inside," one of them says.

"It's fine, he had a panic attack. It's nothing to worry about," he assures them.

"We still need to get in there and check on him," the other one argues. "You can't lock the door, anyway."

"Look, the guy who put him in here is in this hospital. You want to be the reason he gets killed? No? Make it quick, then stay the hell away until Sheriff Torrance tells me we're in the clear," he snaps.

They step inside, and he closes the door, locking it. While they're checking, he pulls his phone out and shows them the picture of the killer. "This is the man. You do not tell him anything about Philip's condition or where we are. I don't care that he has a badge that's hanging from his neck. He does not know anything."

"You got it," the first one says. "Sheriff Torrance and Agent Davis were talking to the ladies at the desk, so they should be fine."

Once the nurses have left and the door is locked, Lukas returns to Philip's side, who still looks shaken up. However, he smiles when his eyes connect with the other boy. Without a word, Lukas takes his jacket off and lays it over Philip. When Philip gives him a questioning look, he blushes.

"Since I can't lie on the bed, I figured that would be the next best thing," he admits.

Philip gives him a small smile and thanks him quietly. He closes his eyes as Lukas sits down, obviously exhausted from the panic attack. He reaches out and takes Lukas' hand, squeezing it lightly. They fall asleep like that, holding hands and smiling.

* * *

After Kane is arrested, Philip is discharged from the hospital with weekly appointments made. Helen, Gabe, and Lukas go to get him, which makes Philip smile. The ride back is silent, but it's comfortable. Lukas takes a picture of Philip staring out the truck window and sends it to Rose.

_Look who's coming home_

She sends back a bunch of emojis, mostly a thumbs up, a hand raise, and the blushing smiley. Lukas chuckles to himself and sends back a yellow heart, along with  _he's really excited to be out of the hospital._

"You texting about me?" Philip asks, the window forgotten.

Before Lukas can answer, Rose texts back with a bunch of eggplant and peach emojis. He laughs again, turning the screen to Philip. Philip laughs and shakes his head, his cheeks turning pink.

When they get to the house, Lukas helps Philip out of the truck and inside. They head upstairs and lie on Philip's bed, Philip resting his head on Lukas' shoulder. They lie like that for a while, just enjoying each other's company. Lukas sticks his nose in Philip's hair and inhales, the smell reminding him that everything's okay. Philip's okay, he's  _here._ They don't have to worry, anymore.

"Why does my bed smell like you?" Philip asks.

Lukas takes a deep breath. "My dad kicked me out temporarily when he found out about us. I couldn't fall asleep downstairs the first night, so I came upstairs to sleep in your bed."

"Temporarily?"

"I'm all he has left; he's trying."

Philip looks up and smiles. "Better than you thought."

Lukas' face suddenly gets serious, and he whispers, "I love you."

"I love you too," Philip says, equally as quiet. He cups Lukas' face and leans up, pressing their lips together.

They're going to be okay.


End file.
